


Golden

by fangirls5ever



Series: Colors [2]
Category: Violet Evergarden - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Flower Shop au part two, Flower color symbolization, Fluff, From semi-strangers to semi-friends, Gen, Humor, Roses, Sweet, but he tries, shy leon is shy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-18 15:24:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18702313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirls5ever/pseuds/fangirls5ever
Summary: Yellow flowers burst with happiness. They symbolize the bonds of friendship, and the taste of success and pride.——Flower shop au part two





	Golden

Every Friday at 4:00, the girl visits, just like clockwork. She’ll step in, tug once at the loose braid holding her hair back, and set her school bag down at the entrance before heading to the counter to greet him with a sharp nod and a clipped, “Leon.”

Her order’s always the same: a single emerald green rose, petals silky smooth and thorns cut from the stem. Elegant, sure, but Leon’s almost starting to feel bad for the person she’s giving them to. Roses are a beautiful gift, but receiving one every week for two months is bound to make even the biggest rose-enthusiast long for something new to break the monotony—tulips, daffodils, snap dragons, _anything_.

But each time she visits, Leon manages to bite his tongue and keep his expression perfectly proper. (He’s long since learned that pleasant is far, far from his range of possibilities.) So what if she gives repetitive gifts? All it means is more business for the store, and a dependable customer.

It’s not that Leon’s started anticipating her visits or anything. Granted, if it was anyone else, he would have the rose wrapped and ready for them, eager to see them out the door as quickly as possible—but that doesn’t have to mean anything. The girl hardly goes out of her way to be friendly with him. Stars, he’d have thought she didn’t even recognize him if it weren’t for the terse “Leon” that starts each and every one of their interactions.

 _Maybe she’s shy,_ Leon thinks to himself uncertainly as he carefully wraps up the rose in waxy paper, trying to ignore Violet’s silent gaze. The girl clearly has some sort of military background, given that even now she’s standing in parade rest, looking ready to snap to attention at a moment’s notice.

Tying off the wrapping with a cream ribbon, Leon passes it over to Violet, only weeks worth of experience with the girl keeping him from flinching when she straightens sharply, blue eyes meeting his.

They’re empty, still. Doll-like, same as the first time he met her, though every now and then he swears he can see a spark of _something_ in them.

“How much?” she asks, though at this point, Leon is sure it’s more of a formality than anything. 

But because he’s an excellent worker with near-saintly patience (and a pox upon any who would say otherwise), he politely answers, “A dollar.”

Violet reaches into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out the money and setting it on the counter.

Leon nods, picking it up and slipping it into the register, trying for a smile as he turns to the girl and asks, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

He’s doing his best, really. Leon’s coworkers at the library can testify to the fact that he smiles maybe once a month, with two signifying a truly exceptional couple of weeks.

So when the girl simply blinks at his beatific expression once, twice, before saying shortly, “There’s a leaf in your hair,” it’s all Leon can do to keep his teeth gritted and choice words tucked neatly behind his tongue.

He tries to break their normal routine for once, and _this_ is her response?

Honestly, why would he expect anything different? And from Violet of all people, the girl who says maybe ten words each time before leaving.

Whatever. He’s learned his lesson. Never again will he try to go above and beyond for any customer, mysterious, blonde potential-soldiers notwithstanding.

A light tug at his hair draws Leon back to the present, eyes catching first on the green sleeve obscuring most of his vision, before flicking quickly down to meet Violet’s gaze as she leans back, now safely again on the opposite side of the counter. Pinched between two fingers, she holds up a rose leaf for him to inspect.

“It’s a beautiful color,” she says, vacant expression perfectly at odds with the thoughtful statement. “Such a vibrant shade...”

Let it never be said that Leon’s sharp exterior has made him socially inept—dazed as he is, still reeling from the sudden closeness, he knows a golden opportunity when he sees one.

“There are other colors, you know,” he says, trying for casual, even as the words all but threaten to spill out in his haste. “People love to receive red flowers, blue flowers.” Slowing slightly, he takes in her unchanged affect, before quickly adding, “And yellow, of course, that’s a favorite. People always cheer up after being given yellow flowers.”

Something flickers in the girl’s eyes, almost tentative. “Yellow flowers make people feel better?” she says.

“They’re really bright, so people tend to cheer up around them. It’s hard to be angry when you’re being smothered by a bunch of daffodils.”

Violet cants her head just the slightest, eyeing him. “But you’re surrounded by flowers.”

“And your point is?” Leon asks sharply, before biting back a curse. He can be bitter later on his break. For now, he needs to be polite to the customer.

Violet stares at him silently, eyes tracking each motion as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, looking from her, to the counter, and back again.

Finally, after a long, drawn out moment, she nods, tension easing from her shoulders just the slightest. “I’d like to buy a yellow rose,” she says.

Leon sighs internally as he goes to retrieve the flower from one of the shop’s buckets. Of course, even when she moved past the color green, she still wouldn’t get past roses. Oh well. One step at a time, and all that.

He wraps it neatly and pushes it over to her, picking up the dollar resting beside it. “Can I get you anything else?”

Violet shakes her head.

“Thank you for your patronage,” he says, dipping his head slightly (he’s not going to try smiling again), “I hope to see you again so—“

The edge of waxen paper getting jabbed into his mouth makes him step back with a splutter, one hand flying up instinctively to cover his mouth. “What was that for?” he snaps, eyes narrowed into a glare as he looks up, only to stop short as he takes in the sight before him.

Violet, yellow rose held out, eyes more alive than he’s ever seen them before.

“For you,” she says simply, her expression something close to hopeful. “For touching your hair without permission. And for attacking you with the rose too, I suppose.”

Leon gapes at her.

He’s dreaming. That can be the only plausible explanation for this.

(It’s the only thing that can explain why he’s oddly touched by the gesture—Leon is by no means an emotional person, and the fact that he can almost feel himself smiling naturally at the girl is both alarming and humiliating.)

Several seconds pass, silence stretching between them.

“If you want,” the girl adds, “I could teach you a braid to help keep the leaves out of your hair. It’s fairly simple, and would keep it above your shoulders.”

Right. Violet’s still here.

... He can analyze this later.

Leon quickly snaps his jaw shut, giving a slight shake of his head to clear it, blue eyes still far too wide. “That’s... very thoughtful of you.”

Violet tilts her head again, the faintest hint of a smile gracing her lips. “Well, we are friends after all, aren’t we?”

In all honesty... no, probably not.

But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they were.

“Yeah,” he says quietly, taking the proffered rose with a shy smile. “Friends.”

**Author's Note:**

> This took me like a year to finally write, and just... from the bottom of my heart, my bad :’)
> 
> (comments and kudos would make me really happy <3 I always make sure to comment back!)


End file.
